One of Napoli’s finest-ever players, Lorenzo Insigne finally called it quits on his time in Italy, and will be heading to Canada next season to represent Toronto FC. The MLS club confirmed this acquisition after his contract with Napoli was eventually terminated and he moved to Toronto without a transfer fee.
The club are eagerly anticipating the arrival of the Italian playmaker, who on his best day, was an elite footballer in Europe. Club president Bill Manning mentioned that Insigne has the talent to change games, and the fans of Toronto are desperate to watch him don their colours.
“This is a historic and exciting day for our club. Lorenzo is a world-class attacking player in the prime of his career. He was a European champion with Italy and has performed on the biggest stages during his club career with Napoli.
Lorenzo has the talent to change games. He plays the game with joy and passion, and our fans and supporters are going to love watching him as a member of our team,”
Manning said.
Insigne’s wages are set to be around 11.5 million euros, making him one of the highest-paid footballers in North America. Although the club wanted to sign a five-year deal with the 31-year-old, they ended up signing the contract, which extends until 2026, for four years.
In 412 appearances for Napoli, he scored 114 times, just one short of Diego Maradona’s tally of 115. Not winning the Scudetto is one thing he might regret while leaving Italy, but he did come close to achieving it multiple times, with Napoli finishing as runners-up four times.
He did conjure a little revenge against the Old Lady, helping Napoli win the Coppa Italia in 2020 by defeating Juventus in the final. Insigne stepped up to take the first penalty when the game headed to a shootout. He won this title in 2014 as well.
However, one of the major reasons why Toronto have agreed on such a huge deal is his form for the national side. He scored for them in the European qualifiers and also got two crucial goals in the Euro 2020 triumph, including one against Belgium in the quarterfinals.
